The really interesting detail, it seems to me, is that this gun, serial number 14742, is the only 'AVANT TOUT' HAMMER EJECTOR GUN BY COGSWELL & HARRISON I can find. None are listed for sale. This gun is the very one pictured in the Cooley & Newton COGSWELL & HARRISON book.
My guess is that these are downright rare. Not that many were made and few survive. But having examined this particular gun, I'm persuaded that, back then, in the 1880s, C&G was producing top-grade London Best Guns competitive with those of the best London makers. It seems clear that the firm's status in later periods was not quite so high.
